Water In Mumbai's Lakes Crosses 41%, But 10% Cut To Continue

Heavy rainfall in Mumbai over the last 24 hours has led to a major boost in its water reserves as the storage levels in the city's seven lakes have increased significantly.The current water stock stands at 5.98 lakh million litres, enough to meet Mumbai's water requirements until mid-October, officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Wednesday.The combined lake storage has risen to 41.36 per cent, up sharply from 28.92 per cent a day earlier, an increase of nearly 13 percentage points.Two key lakes - Vihar and Tulsi have reached 100 per cent capacity and have started overflowing, marking one of the first major reliefs in this year's monsoon season.10% Water Cut Rule To ContinueDespite the improvement, the BMC has decided to continue the 10 per cent water cut across the city.Civic officials say the restriction will remain in place until all seven lakes overflow and consistent rainfall continues through the rest of July.The water cut was imposed after reservoir levels dropped sharply during the summer, coupled with concerns of a weak monsoon due to El Nino conditions.Authorities will review the water supply situation only after assessing rainfall and reservoir levels towards the end of July. Until then, the existing water restrictions will remain in force.Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has forecast a reduction in rainfall intensity from Thursday.The orange alert issued for Mumbai and Thane on Wednesday has now been downgraded to a yellow alert for July 9.Palghar and Raigad, which were under a red alert on Wednesday, have also been placed under a yellow alert.